2025-2026 Branch Leaders

Executive Committee

President

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.      

President Elect

Martha Steele

Vice President Membership

Debbi Sochia                        

Vice President Programs

Martha Steele             

Secretary

Debbi Sochia    

Treasurer

Sharon Parson

Parliamentarian

Vacant

Standing Committees

Public Policy

Pat Sanford

Finance/Budget

Sharon Parson

Scholarships/NCCWSL/CU

Jeanette Pierce

AAUW Funds

Vacant

DEI

Vacant

STEM

Vacant

Governance

Jeanette Pierce

Appointed Positions

Membership Outreach

Adrien Frank

Community Coordinator

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.

Reservations

Martha Steele

Publicity

Michelle Burk

Historian

Rachel Skelley

Communications

Malinda Gaul

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN

SAN ANTONIO

SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON

ANNUAL MEETING

APRIL 4, 2026

11:30am

The April meeting is the culmination of our fundraising efforts, when we have the opportunity to meet our scholarship winners! Scholarship winners will be announced, and those who are able to attend will be introduced and given the opportunity to speak. It is inspiring to hear about the accomplishments and aspirations of these women, and it is also fun to meet their guests, their biggest supporters.

We hope to have a good turnout for this event, to show our support for these achievers. We have a lovely banquet room and a nice meal planned.

RSVP to Martha Steele, steelemar@gmail.com by March 26.

Please note the deadline. In consideration of our guests, we want to avoid the confusion caused by last minute reservations.

Location:

Pompeii Italian Grill

16109 Nacodoches Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78247

11:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M.

Cost: $35

Prices includes server gratuity and a contribution toward the cost of the banquet room.

Entree choices:

1)   Chicken Parmesan and pasta with marinara sauce

2)   Grilled chicken with buttered pasta

3)   Lasagna plate

Vegetarian options:

4)   Pasta Primavera

5)   Eggplant Parmesan with pasta

Gluten-Free:

6)   Pasta dishes with gluten-free pasta: +$5.00

All entrees come with a side salad and home-baked bread and olive oil infused with garlic-basil. Includes beverage choice of tea, soft drink, or coffee.

  Dessert:

Sheet cake designed especially for AAUW

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Pay at the door with exact change or

pay in advance using Zelle (send to aauwsa@gmail.com).

Again–the deadline to RSVP is March 26!

Many thanks to Adrien Frank and Ruth Lyle for assistance in planning and making arrangements for the event!

Report from the Nominating Committee

Members of Committee: Adrien Frank, Malinda Gaul, Jeanette Pierce, Glenda Raichlen, Pat Sanford

The Nominating Committee recommends the following slate of officers to be voted on at the April Annual Meeting:

President: Martha Steele

President-Elect: Martha Steele (agreed to serve two terms as president)

Program VP: Diane Claiborne-Carr

Membership VP: Debbie Sochia

Treasurer: Sharon Parson (second year of two year term)

Secretary: Krystyna Mrozek

Celebrating the Suffragist at the Libraries

During March, Women's History Month, League of Women Voters members Jan Olsen and Jill Torbert will be presenting Celebrating the Suffragist, an engaging program that covers over 100 years of women's history. During this one and half hour presentation, women who dedicated their lives to the cause of votes for women are highlighted. The event is free and open to the public. Grab a friend and come get inspired!



 Week of March 23-29

Pruitt Branch Library - Thursday, March 26, 6 pm

Cody Branch Library - Friday, March 27, 4 pm

Week of March 30-April 5

Igo Branch Library - Monday, March 30, 6:30 pm

Johnston Branch Library - Saturday, April 4, 2:30 pm

Dates and times subject to change. 

Please check with the library before you go.

Vote

School Board Election Day is Saturday, May 2, 2026

April 2, 2026: Last Day to Register to Vote 

April 20-28, 2026: Early Voting Period

No voting on April 21 due to San Jacinto Day

Saturday, May 2, 2026: Election Day

Polls open 7 am – 7 pm

AAUW strongly supports free public education. There are 16 to 20 independent school districts (ISDs) wholly or partially located in Bexar County and the immediate San Antonio boundaries each with its own Board of Trustees. These districts serve over 250,000 students.

School board members make important decisions about school districts’ budgets, curriculum, and leadership every day. In addition to hiring and evaluating the district superintendent, trustees make decisions on what learning resources are available to students, how district money is spent, what school taxes you pay, and what schools stay open or close. They also approve bond proposals for capital improvements that are presented to voters.

Yet, school board elections are plagued by lower voter turnout, sometimes as low as 5 to 10 percent. This makes every vote incredibly powerful. Make your voice heard on School Board Election Day, May 2, 2026. Vote for candidates who put students first, not those who try to stack the board with members promoting far right exclusionary actions.

Go to the Bexar County Precinct Finder to find out who represents you on your school board. Or check your voter registration card. Your voting district for your school system is located in the table above your address under the heading ISD.

Thank you for exercising your right to vote.

Pat Sanford

AAUW SA Public Policy Chair

AAUW TX Public Policy Committee

Membership Matters! 

YOU Matter!

Are you not getting our online newsletters? 

Click this link to resubscribe:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/32IYN60

Happy April Everyone! This is the month of April Fool’s Jokes, April Showers, and Income Tax Deadlines! Are you getting a refund this year? Ever considered gifting one of your friends, colleagues, or fellow AAUW members the sweetest gift of all? Membership! The nicest gift of all is the gift of membership with a group of women who champion gender equity by funding education for women. Gift someone you know a Membership to AAUW! Know someone with a birthday coming up? Or maybe want to surprise a friend by renewing their membership? My mom brought me in to AAUW many years ago and it was one of the nicest gifts I think she ever gave me. :)

Renew Your Membership

Dues are $103

How this Breaks Down:

National Dues: $74

AAUW Texas: $13

San Antonio Branch $ 16

Total: $103

WHY: Member dues are an important funding source for AAUW. Costs have increased annually, but AAUW has not raised the amount of dues for many years. Our dues helps fund our work such as:

• Education and Advocacy: Our dues help support AAUW's Public Policy and member advocacy programs which defend higher education and rights for women on campus.

• Member Trainings: Regular virtual member gatherings and training programs which provide education and engagement on relevant topics.

• Member Engagement: such as Archives Corps, Lobby Corps, and national committees, as well as coordinating member advocacy through our 2-minute activist.

• Real-Time Support: members can receive daily assistance through the Connect Team.

You can pay in a variety of ways:

 Online: https://www.aauw.org/ (you will have to have made an account)

With Zelle: Zelle payment: Click the Zelle tab in your bank account.  

Use the email aauwsatx@gmail.com to send money.

In the memo field identify the payment: AAUW

 Or by check: Checks made out to AAUW-SA

Mail to: AAUW SAN ANTONIO

P.O. Box 460825

San Antonio, TX 78246-0825



 Call/text/email Debbi Sochia, Membership Vice-President for assistance.

dsochia@att.net

(210) 218-2675

AAUW Texas Conference 

The 52nd Biennial AAUW Texas Conference will be held on Saturday, April 25th from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. The theme is Energizing and Advocating for Women. 

After listening to our members, we will be trying a new format this year. Three in-person sessions held at three locations in DFW at Tarrant County College NE, Houston at Lone Star College Cypress Fairbanks, and San Antonio at SAWS Headquarters.  

At these locations for the cost of $49, attendees will be served lunch.

If you cannot join us in person, you can attend via Zoom for a fee of $10.  

The day will be kicked off with a welcome from our current President Malinda Gaul and a review of the day’s activities.

Our first speaker will be Valerie Jones, Ed.D., President of Lone Star College Cypress Fairbanks. The focus of her talk will be Energizing!

Next we will conduct our biennial business meeting with Malinda Gaul presiding. We will recognize our new officers for 2026-2028 biennium and honor the Five Star recipients. Vickie Natale, Finance Officer, will report on the state of our finances.  

The final morning speaker will be Meghan Kissell, Senior Director of Policy and Member Advocacy at the American Association of University Women, who will present Defending Equity: From Classrooms to Careers—Keeping the Promise of Women’s Equality. Advocating! 

During lunch, both in-person and online attendees will have time for networking and sharing of ideas.

The afternoon will focus on how our branches have carried out our mission and energized and advocated for women through the Five Star program. Paula Jernigan from NETC branch will moderate a panel of branch representatives providing insights into the program and how they were able to achieve their stars. 

For more information about the speakers see the February University Woman Texas newsletter.

Register Here!

AAUW Member and Author Wondra Chang at the Hill Country Literary Festival at the Mammen Family Public Library in Bulverde, Texas

AAUW Moviegoers (Let’s All Go to the Movies!)

Moviegoers! We meet on the last Sunday of each month (unless I miscalculate how many days are in each month and then I pinch hit, lol). I send out an email with a list of currently showing movies to vote on and then let everyone know the winning movie and location. Please join us! All are welcome! 

Our next movie is scheduled for Sunday, April 26!

Call/text/email Debbi Sochia

dsochia@att.net

210-218-2675

Book Discussion

We had a wonderful discussion of The Library Book by Susan Orlean this last March at Blue Skies with Diantha Perelli as our hostess! It was nice to see Janina Kuzma, Gail Coe, and Flo Wallace again! After our discussion we enjoyed lunch in the Roadrunner Room.

What Does AAUW National Do?

Policy Advocacy: Focuses on national issues affecting women and girls, such as education equity, pay equity, and reproductive rights.

o   We coordinate our Public Policy Committees, participate in coalition work and partner with other prominent National organizations to raise awareness about our policy priorities (such as the YWCA for our Gen Z Town Hall in Philadelphia).

Subject Matter Expertise: We have historically produced in-depth studies on topics like the gender pay gap and women in leadership roles.

o   While we haven't produced reports recently due to limited funding - we have done high level analysis of recently released pay gap data. We are frequently asked to comment on topics related to pay equity, student loan debt and other issues related to gender equity. You can see our recently updated page on Latinas and the pay gap for example, here: https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/latinas-and-the-pay-gap/

o   We have tens of thousands of social media followers across all platforms and have well over 1 million website viewers - ensuring that our brand remains prominent and relevant. CEO Gloria Blackwell has been invited to White House events on at least three occasions recently.

o   On a Global level - Gloria is AAUW's representative to the UN - and our work in this capacity provides great reputational value related to global gender equity work.

Salary Negotiation and Financial Literacy Training: Offers training and resources for women to develop skills to be financially empowered.

o   In particular our Work Smart, Start Smart and Money Smart trainings provide valuable resources and tools for women to become economically empowered. Nationally we work with organizations such as the HBCU Career Center, Tri Delta, Coca Cola Foundation, Finra Foundation, SAGE and others to bring these trainings to thousands of women across the country. These trainings were developed and are updated and managed by the National office. They have been independently evaluated by two separate entitles and continually receive very high ratings from participants.

Fellowships & Grants: We award and administer over $6 million in fellowships and grants each year to hundreds of women in the US and Internationally. 

o   We also connect our members and branches to these awardees and alumnae and have an Alumnae Relations team charged with growing and maintaining relationships with our thousands of distinguished Alumnae.

Membership Services: Provides support and resources for local branches and members, including access to national networks and events.

o   We host all aauw.net websites, process dues, support 990 filings, and maintain our history and globally recognized brand. Without AAUW National - AAUW branches would instead be independently organized entities who would not be networked with one another or have the ability to utilize the AAUW name. 

In essence, while AAUW National sets the strategic direction and focuses on broader issues, local branches implement programs and initiatives that directly benefit their local communities. Together, our aim is to work towards the common goal of advancing gender equity.

Follow AAUW San Antonio on:

Facebook www.facebook.com/aauw.sanantonio